OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I've been trying to work on my forehand chop technique during coronavirus time, and I've noticed that some players seem to execute a FH chop with there feet almost completely parallel to one another. You can see it in these videos:

At 3:53 you can really tell Joo's feet position because of the lines on the floor



At the beginning you see Park Mi Young chopping with her feet parallel, though she demonstrates it throughout the entire video



However in this video, Matsushita stresses the importance of having one foot in front of the other.


I don't speak/understand japanese but someone translated the gist of it, though I cannot remember where. In any case they're clearly showcasing the feet position. Matsushita was almost always side-on during chopping, so much so that in some cases his left foot crossed in front of his right!

There is also an hour-long instructional video of Matsushita, and when showcasing the forehand chop he also was very side-on. Chopping starts at ~20:00, but there's also a comparison at ~21:48 that my best guess is showing feet position



In any case, is there a "correct" way to have your feet during a FH chop? My best guess is that having your feet parallel makes it easier to be ready to counterattack, but other than that I can't tell. In matches it seems like occasionally Joo will chop side-on, but not nearly as often as Matsushita.

Joos side on chop is usually the result of a body attack, in which case he steps back with the right foot to create space and distance for the fh chop.

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SOULSPIN CUSTOM BLADES
Fh: Spinny rubber
Bh: Not so spinny rubber...

Interesting lesson with Park Mi Young, I see what you mean she chops with her feet very parallel. Honestly I think the footwork for the FH chop can be very situational, you may even have to chop with your right front in front of the left (if the ball comes short). Joo Se Hyuk and other great choppers emphasis "step practice", basically lunging in all directions. In game situations the ball can go anywhere and it's almost never ideal. I think balance and weight transfer, like all other shots, is most important. On a neutral shot you may barely have to move your right foot back, I think I do mostly so I don't chop my knee by accident

The other thing I question Park on (maybe translation wise or what)... she mentions to chop at elbow height. But if you watch her own games and those of other choppers, they rarely do that! Only against slower balls or low spin balls. Otherwise they are taking it low around knee height or maybe waist height.














Watch the first number of points here for a decent angle:

_________________
SOULSPIN CUSTOM BLADES
Fh: Spinny rubber
Bh: Not so spinny rubber...

Looking at those images & video again, I think the contact point is both at knee/waist height AND elbow height. I think you can see it best on those last three or so photos (sorry I don't know those defenders' names!) where they're just about to contact the ball, and the ball happens to be in line with their elbow. Since they're bending over, they also happen to be taking the ball at around waist height as well. The elbow is probably where the ball should be in relation to your arm during contact, and waist/knee height is where it should be in relation to your body during contact.

I think it's all about control. The later you hit the ball, the less spin remains so that it's easier to control.

The simplest way to achieve this and still keeping as near to the table as possible is to turn sideways. At the forehand side you immediatly gain about 1 meter more distance by turning. Btw, you also do it when chopping with backhand. As you gain a body width less distance at the backhand side, you generally have to cope with balls with more spin - this is one of the reasons for using a pimpled or anti rubber there.

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- style: modern defense -